Frosting Basics

A couple weeks ago I had a reader write in and request a recipe for a slightly less sweet butter cream frosting recipe. She had used some of our cupcake mixology recipes and she said they were great but she wondered if there was a way to make frosting that wasn't quite so sweet. And this got me thinking that perhaps it could be fun to share some of my favorite basic frosting recipes. Today we are going to learn to make: cream cheese frosting (great for Red Velvet cakes!), chocolate butter cream, and a (slightly less sweet) white butter cream frosting.

You need the cream cheese and butter to be slightly softened, so you can either leave it out on the counter for a few hours or nuke it in the microwave for 20 seconds. Beat together the softened cream cheese and butter until creamy. Add in the vanilla extract and beat for another 30 seconds. Now start adding the powder sugar 1 cup at a time and beating in between each addition.

Again, you need the butter to be softened so either leave it out or nuke it. Cream the butter and vanilla together until smooth and creamy. Add in the cocoa and beat for 30 seconds, scrap down the sides of the bowl as you go so everything gets well mixed. Now add the powder sugar 1 cup at a time, beating in between each addition until you have a thick frosting.

In a small sauce pan heat together the milk and flour, whisking as you go until you have a thick paste. Set this aside and let it cool. In a bowl cream together the softened butter, granulated sugar and vanilla for 2-3 minutes until the sugar is well incorporated and (almost) not grainy at all. Now add the flour paste to the bowl and beat for another 2-3 minutes until it begins to get fluffy like whipped cream. Add the powder sugar and beat until well incorporated. There's quite a bit of mixing for this recipe as the ingredients are quite nontraditional for a frosting-but it's totally worth it!

I very frequently make the less-sweet vanilla frosting (got it from the same website) and it makes a simple chocolate cake mix really delish! I was skeptical before I tried it but it really is great and I get compliments on it all the time 🙂

If you dissolve the sugar in the hot milk before adding the flour (last frosting recipe) you will end up with a smoother finished product. No grit! Oddly enough I made a very similar frosting last night to go on chocolate cupcakes. I ran out of flour making the cakes so substituted corn starch. Worked just the same, but didn’t have the paper mache taste it usually has (Although I usually like it).

I am going to try out the chocolate buttercream for my nephews 15th birthday today, thanks for the easy to do recipe. I am a bit nervous though because I have never made frosting without a standing mixer. I have a hand mixer, hope this comes out!

For the cream cheese frosting, you can add just half a cup of powdered sugar and a dash of lemon juice. No butter needed as the cream cheese is soft and easy to spread at room temperature. The frosting will then tast tangy with a hint of sweetness. A little bit of sugar goes a long way and helps with heart health too. The sugar can also be halved (this is going to stir some people up!) in cucake recipes too-keeping the same amounts of all other ingredients. Try it 🙂

I’m not a “sweets” person at all but my daughter made these tiny cakes and I ate one to be polite as mothers do and then I found myself smuggling one into my bedroom and shoved the entire thing into my mouth before anyone could see me. Then later I had one while I was reading my book and I actually felt so sexy eating this decadent little cake…. I felt like I was comiting a sin haha THEY WERE OUTSTANDING! Thanks so much.